Landing a job as a grad can be an absolute fucking nightmare.

You’re competing with kids who ran five uni societies, have just finished internships at Microsoft AND Google, and topped their class with honors.

You, on the other hand, forged your internship experience, have spent the last three years pouring pints of Stone and Wood, and proudly profess that ‘P’s get degrees’.

On top of all this, you’re told by career advisers and YouTubers alike to “be confident” and to give your interviewer a “firm handshake” when you meet them.

Yeah, cheers.

Let’s face it, you’re not entitled to a job and the hiring process often isn’t fair. It’s up to you to persuade someone to give you responsibility and a salary in exchange for results.

The reality is this: getting a job is a sales process.

You need to...

1. Find yourself opportunities (leads)

And then...

2. Convince employers to hire you (conversions)

Leads

You need lots of them.

And by ‘lead’, we mean any opportunity that might become a job. It could be a position you’re applying for, a friend who can refer you, or a side project you might get paid for.

So how do you get them?

Use your connections.

And yes, you have some.

Think about it from the employer’s perspective. If you were hiring new talent, would you rather hire through a trusted employee or sort through 50 resumes from strangers?

Not a tough decision, isn’t it?

Yet so many job-seeking grads get this backward - they start with the methods hiring managers like least. They’re opposite approaches and look something like this.

How employers prefer to fill a vacancy:

1.  From within - promoting a trusted preexisting employee. This is as low risk as hiring can get.

2. Using proof - hiring an unknown job-seeker who brings proof of what he or she can do regarding the skills needed.

3. Using a friend or business colleague - hiring someone whose work a trusted friend has seen.

4. Using an agency they trust - this could be a recruiter or a private employment agency. 

5. Using an ad - typically online on platforms such as Seek, Indeed, or Linkedin.

6. Using a resume - sifting through tens or even hundreds of resumes.

How job-seekers typically try to gain employment:

1. Using a resume.

2. Using an ad they have seen - applying to saved jobs on Seek, Indeed, or Linkedin.

3. Using an agency - gaining interview opportunities via recruitment firms.

4. Using a referral from a friend or business colleague - leveraging their connections.

5. From within - seeking a promotion or moving to a different role within their current company

So start with who you know. Is your current company hiring or does a friend have an opportunity? You get the point.

Conversions

So you finally land an interview, how do you convince the interviewer to hire you?

The easiest way is to do the work you’re trying to prove you can do. This is especially helpful as a grad because chances are you don’t have many noteworthy projects to leverage.

Here are a few ways to ‘do the work’.

1. Do a portfolio project

Let’s say you’re interviewing for a content writer position at a fintech start-up. Write a series of blog posts on all things personal finance and investing.

2. The pre-interview project

Find out what you’ll be doing in the role (which will already put you ahead) and the problems you’ll need to solve for the organization. Put together a page summary of these solutions and bring it to your interview.

3. Go for a nearby position

If you can’t get the job you want right away, consider applying for another position within the organization (if there is one), even if it’s a step below where you want to be. Working in a nearby position allows you to prove your motivation and cultural fit. When your boss has a position to fill, it’s much easier to promote someone they’ve already worked with than to start a lengthy application process.

Motivation

As we so eloquently began this email, your first job search is a nightmare. It’s a shit show.

You’ve probably never been rejected 10,20, or even 30 times in a row for months on end.

So do yourself a favor and consider these tips to stay motivated.

1. Set a specific goal and commit to it.

Something like applying to 10 jobs a week until you land some interviews. Stick to it and commit.

2. Make it easier to face rejections.

Get used to rejection, cause it’s going nowhere.

Next time you buy your morning coffee, ask for a 10% discount. You won’t get it, and you’ll feel a bit stupid, but that’s the point. Then do it again the day after.

This is enacted rejection. After a while, you realize how little it actually matters.

Over time, you’ll become better and better at facing rejection.

3. Treat it like a job

Whatever job you land, you’re likely going to be doing it for years at 40 hours per week, so it makes sense it might take 5%+ of that time to secure the position, and that’s already 1–2 months of full-time work. So treat it like a full-time gig.

That’s it, cya.